"Ah! Extraordinary! Legends have spoken of this piece of weaponry!" Wind
Elder exclaimed as he fawned over Samus's fusion suit, having just seen it
for the first time. The suit's owner watched nervously from a distance,
afraid that the outfit would receive negative comments due to its organic
condition. But the Chozo didn't seem to care at all. He prodded the
mechanical flesh with a talon and stepped back, admiring it from afar.
"There shall be statues made of this artifact in the future. I shall see to it myself!" He smiled and nodded to one of the other Chozo crowded in Samus's humble little hut, a mechanic from another Sheltering Tree. Wind Elder had returned from his journey as soon as Veaning sent him a communication on Samus's condition. And with him, he brought technicians, scientists, philosophers and leaders that he thought would be of assistance. There were still others coming from all directions, even a few that would hail from off-planet.
"A Chozo statue? Of me?" Samus asked, a little abashed. She had always looked upon the statues with respect and reverence, those symbols of Chozo civilization and power. To have one made in her image, immortalizing her forever... Well, she wasn't used to that kind of popularity.
"Of course." Veaning said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Don't be so surprised. I heard that on Hester's moon, another Chozo colony, they are making a statue of your suit's likeness before it became fused with metroid blood. They received a rough outline of the suit's design from a ghost."
"A ghost? Would it be Old Bird's ghost?"
With the equivalence of a shrug, Veaning said, "I know of no other person who designed your power suit."
"However, do not expect to see the statue anytime soon, young one." Another Chozo remarked. "They have been working on the Hester's moon statue for six years. It may be another decade before it is completed."
The air began to smell spicy, like warm feathers, as Chozo of various occupations all squeezed together, trying to examine the fusion suit. Technicians dismantled the suit into easier-to-manage pieces, although there were some parts fused together with organic skin that would no longer come apart. Scientists extracted various body fluids from the bounty hunter, as well as some samples of bone marrow to study. There were even a few scholars hanging around, rapidly sketching holograms and typing up essays, attempting to record this event for their archives. All this activity reminded Samus of the last time she went to see a doctor about her power suit, back on that distant planet several long months ago.
The head biologist finally finished examining the power suit and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to report his findings.
"Samus Aran, Defender and Hatchling of the Chozo." He began, speaking in a loud voice for everyone's benefit. "Your body had been infused with the blood of Ultimate Warriors, much like how you were given Chozo blood when you were but a newborn. It altered your physiology so that you acquired some metroid-like traits. But this fusion was rather crude, with side effects equaling the benefits. Your power suit adjusted itself as a reaction to your change in biology."
Samus nodded mutely. The suit had always been extremely sensitive to her condition, growing as she grew, even filling out in certain unexpected areas when she reached puberty. She sometimes wondered if it was a lifeform of its own, a symbiotic creature of some sort.
"From what you and Veaning have reported, symptoms include vulnerability to cold, the ability to detach a ghost from a physical body, and changes to your power suit that aid your metroid-like behaviors." The biologist clicked his beak and seemed to hesitate. Samus swallowed, wondering what this pause may mean. The Chozo's gaze hardened. "I know you wish to be completely free of the metroid's blood, Legendary Warrior, but it has been in your system for too long. It would be impossible for us to remove all traces of it entirely."
"What do you mean, 'it's been too long'?" Samus demanded. "Are you saying you can't do anything?"
Wind Elder put a hand on her shoulder. "Peace." He reassured the human. Samus fidgeted in her seat.
The biologist Chozo bowed his head apologetically. "I am sorry. But the metroid blood has become a foundation for the growth of other cells. If we took that away, then the results may be catastrophic." A few other scientists murmured in agreement to this statement.
"Think about your Chozo heritage." The biologist explained gently. "It made you taller than most humans, with lighter bones and muscles of greater efficiency. What would happen if we crudely ripped away those genes from your body, a body that has become accustomed to such changes? Your bones would become denser, with less and less ability to hold them upright as your muscles degenerated. You will become unable to breathe as your diaphragm fails to expand a heavier ribcage. Or your arteries will burst from an overactive heart supplying blood which your tissues no longer need. Or your body may try to compensate your loss of muscle with loss of bone mass, disintegrating the cartilage between your joints until you eventually become as stiff as a carved doll." The biologist paused, waiting for his lecture to sink in. "These are only a few of the predicted results of removing Chozo blood. You can see why we are so reluctant to remove the metroid blood. You possess one of the most complicated inter-species fusions we have ever come across."
Samus had her jaw set tightly in grim frustration. "Then...what can be done?"
"We can not remove it, but we will do our best to inactivate as many of its features as we can. And yet, we can not know what we are capable of taking away safely at this time. More research is needed."
"And yet..." A wizened old elder spoke up for the first time. "Are you sure you want to have all traces of the blood taken away? There are some traits of the Ultimate Warriors that you can not deny are useful." The Chozo who had spoken was known simply as Sharp, not only for her insightful mind, but for the way her beak and talons were always healthily smooth and pointed. She was recognized as the elder of this entire planet and was therefore able to wear beautiful, ceremonial wings on her back to indicate her position.
"No." Samus shook her head. "I just want to be back to normal again."
"Do not be hasty, Hatchling." The Chozo advised, clicking together her lethal beak. "You took on the Ultimate Warrior's blood to save your life and it helped you fend off the Eaters. You will be helpless against them if all the metroid's genes were to be repressed. Also, absorbing any enemy's ghost is an effective way to defeat them. Their energy is added to your own."
"The Eaters are dead. They're extinct. And I get by fine with the abilities I've always had."
"There is always room for improvement, hmm?" Sharp said gently in her rolling voice. Samus felt a wave of nostalgia with those words. Those were the same words that Old Bird had once said to her, before he died. "Besides," The elder continued. "Why are you so fearful of retaining any metroid blood in you? What is it you dislike about the Ultimate Warriors?"
"Yes, many Chozo are curious to know why you destroyed all the metroids." Wind Elder said, a hint of accusation in his tone. "They were a prize creation of our ancestors."
Samus pulled her lip into a thin line. She doesn't like to be reminded of her act of genocide, even if she had her reasons for doing so. "They were used as weapons by the Space Pirates and the Federation ordered me to exterminate them." She said simply. "And sometimes, when they attack me, I have no choice but to defend myself." She stole a glance at Veaning and turned back to the crowd. "But how am I supposed to live as part-metroid? I mean, it weakened me when I needed all my strength. And I kill things uncontrollably. If you Chozo weren't immune to metroids, I might have killed Veaning here."
"You lost control because you starved the metroid part of yourself. Part of your body needs to draw energy from living creatures. If you had known you needed this type of sustenance and fed yourself regularly, then those episodes would not have happened." Sharp tapped her wooden cane on the ground, a cane even more elaborately carved than Wind Elder's. "But I suppose... With your lifestyle, access to suitable living creatures is not always possible. We will find a way adjust your physiology so that a lack of life energy does not bring about ravenous urges."
"Let us not make any promises we may not be able to keep." The biologist advised gravely.
Sharp waved a hand. "Of course. Nothing can be decided yet. Your scientists still need many more days to research the power suit accurately. My fellow elders and I have conferences to hold and decisions to arrive to. And you, our noble Hatchling..." The elder bowed as she said this, and Samus awkwardly bowed back. "...need your rest. This flock of birds must be disturbing the peace and tranquility of your home. We shall leave."
"Thank you so much for your help, Sharp." Samus tried to bow again but was kept upright by two gentle talons under her chin.
The Chozo elder smiled, lifting the sagging corners of an otherwise inflexible beak. "Let us not be overly formal, my Defender. Remember, we are forever in your debt." She turned to leave, all the visiting Chozo following her. A few of them carried off the fusion suit for further study, while one scientist picked up the various body fluids he collected from Samus earlier. The only Chozo left in the bounty hunter's treetop hut were Wind Elder and Veaning.
Samus flopped down onto her bed and exhaled loudly. "That was unnerving. Wind Elder, did you really have to invite all those high caliber people? The planet's elder?"
"So modest you are." The aging Chozo chuckled as he settled onto a branch beside his daughter. "I would have invited more, but I was contacted on such short notice. And yes, Sharp wanted to meet you as much as any other Chozo. We all want to help you."
"Mmm." Was all the answer Samus would give. She stared up at the ceiling with a small frown on her features.
"You are concerned and preoccupied, Hatchling." Wind Elder observed. "Please do not worry about the condition of your power suit and health. Have faith in the abilities of us Chozo." He paused for a moment. "Or is something else troubling you?"
"You are incredibly insightful." Samus sighed and flipped onto her belly, shoulders propped up by her elbows. "I'm thinking about what will happen once they've fixing my metroid problem. What should I do? Where should I go? For as long as I could I remember, my purpose in life has been to find a Chozo planet, and to destroy the Space Pirates. I've done both. And the Federation won't accept me for any large-scale missions anymore. Am I supposed to go back to being a small-time bounty hunter? And I don't want to stay here, no offense or anything. It's just that..."
"You long for the stars." The elder cut her off. "Yes, I know. I can see it in your eyes. And the legends about you always speak of your longing for space."
"Really?" Samus asked in amusement. "One of these days, I'll have to sit down and listen to you tell all these stories about me and find out exactly what kind of legend I'm supposed to be. I should have known Old Bird would spread my rumors, even in the afterlife!"
Wind Elder fluffed up his feathers, making him look unusually fuzzy compared to his usually thin frame. "Heh. Old Bird was quite the pilgrim. Elders on all planets have been visited by him, up until the moment he drifted beyond our reach." The Chozo settled down and cleared his throat. "Now, as for your own problem, you say you do not know what you should do with your life onwards?"
"Yeah. I think of it as an early mid-life crisis or something."
Wind Elder said a few words to Veaning in their native language. The younger Chozo picked up the control pad of the communications device and started flipping through signals, as if searching for something. Her father turned back to the bounty hunter, his face no longer cheery, but a neutral unreadable. "You may have to answer a calling sooner than you think, Warrior."
"What do you mean by that?" Samus asked. She watched the static images on the comm screen from the corner of her eye, distracted by their constant changing.
"Tell me, have you been watching the Federation Broadcast recently?"
The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow in confusion. "No. Why? Should I have been?"
"Let's just say that what you said earlier about the Eaters may not be completely accurate."
"Father, I found it." Veaning announced. Three pairs of eyes turned to the comm screen, watching images relayed from hundreds of light-years away.
It was the Federation Broadcast, and judging from the quality, its signal was probably from a feed trail. That meant it was broadcasted fresh some time ago, but traces of the data could still be picked up. There was a human on the screen, calm and collected, a newsreporter, and behind him a brightly lit star chart. As soon as Samus set eyes upon the chart, she knew something was wrong. She could not quite recognize the solar system the chart depicted, and even if she did, one of the planets appeared too oddly shaped to have been in space for long.
"The vast storm of dust surrounding the former orbit of planet SR388 has settled, allowing astronomers and geologists to finally survey the amount of damaged caused by the destruction of B.S.L. station earlier this year." The man announced with the tone of artificial interest reporters tend to have. "Other than the dust cloud, the station has chiseled off two major portions of rock from the planet and has changed the orbit of the largest remaining piece. Some may remember SR388 as a hostile planet once inhabited by the metroids, then by the elusive X, of which not much is known. The Federation is now organizing a mission to investigate the remains of the planet, and to study the organisms that may have survived."
"There shall be statues made of this artifact in the future. I shall see to it myself!" He smiled and nodded to one of the other Chozo crowded in Samus's humble little hut, a mechanic from another Sheltering Tree. Wind Elder had returned from his journey as soon as Veaning sent him a communication on Samus's condition. And with him, he brought technicians, scientists, philosophers and leaders that he thought would be of assistance. There were still others coming from all directions, even a few that would hail from off-planet.
"A Chozo statue? Of me?" Samus asked, a little abashed. She had always looked upon the statues with respect and reverence, those symbols of Chozo civilization and power. To have one made in her image, immortalizing her forever... Well, she wasn't used to that kind of popularity.
"Of course." Veaning said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Don't be so surprised. I heard that on Hester's moon, another Chozo colony, they are making a statue of your suit's likeness before it became fused with metroid blood. They received a rough outline of the suit's design from a ghost."
"A ghost? Would it be Old Bird's ghost?"
With the equivalence of a shrug, Veaning said, "I know of no other person who designed your power suit."
"However, do not expect to see the statue anytime soon, young one." Another Chozo remarked. "They have been working on the Hester's moon statue for six years. It may be another decade before it is completed."
The air began to smell spicy, like warm feathers, as Chozo of various occupations all squeezed together, trying to examine the fusion suit. Technicians dismantled the suit into easier-to-manage pieces, although there were some parts fused together with organic skin that would no longer come apart. Scientists extracted various body fluids from the bounty hunter, as well as some samples of bone marrow to study. There were even a few scholars hanging around, rapidly sketching holograms and typing up essays, attempting to record this event for their archives. All this activity reminded Samus of the last time she went to see a doctor about her power suit, back on that distant planet several long months ago.
The head biologist finally finished examining the power suit and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to report his findings.
"Samus Aran, Defender and Hatchling of the Chozo." He began, speaking in a loud voice for everyone's benefit. "Your body had been infused with the blood of Ultimate Warriors, much like how you were given Chozo blood when you were but a newborn. It altered your physiology so that you acquired some metroid-like traits. But this fusion was rather crude, with side effects equaling the benefits. Your power suit adjusted itself as a reaction to your change in biology."
Samus nodded mutely. The suit had always been extremely sensitive to her condition, growing as she grew, even filling out in certain unexpected areas when she reached puberty. She sometimes wondered if it was a lifeform of its own, a symbiotic creature of some sort.
"From what you and Veaning have reported, symptoms include vulnerability to cold, the ability to detach a ghost from a physical body, and changes to your power suit that aid your metroid-like behaviors." The biologist clicked his beak and seemed to hesitate. Samus swallowed, wondering what this pause may mean. The Chozo's gaze hardened. "I know you wish to be completely free of the metroid's blood, Legendary Warrior, but it has been in your system for too long. It would be impossible for us to remove all traces of it entirely."
"What do you mean, 'it's been too long'?" Samus demanded. "Are you saying you can't do anything?"
Wind Elder put a hand on her shoulder. "Peace." He reassured the human. Samus fidgeted in her seat.
The biologist Chozo bowed his head apologetically. "I am sorry. But the metroid blood has become a foundation for the growth of other cells. If we took that away, then the results may be catastrophic." A few other scientists murmured in agreement to this statement.
"Think about your Chozo heritage." The biologist explained gently. "It made you taller than most humans, with lighter bones and muscles of greater efficiency. What would happen if we crudely ripped away those genes from your body, a body that has become accustomed to such changes? Your bones would become denser, with less and less ability to hold them upright as your muscles degenerated. You will become unable to breathe as your diaphragm fails to expand a heavier ribcage. Or your arteries will burst from an overactive heart supplying blood which your tissues no longer need. Or your body may try to compensate your loss of muscle with loss of bone mass, disintegrating the cartilage between your joints until you eventually become as stiff as a carved doll." The biologist paused, waiting for his lecture to sink in. "These are only a few of the predicted results of removing Chozo blood. You can see why we are so reluctant to remove the metroid blood. You possess one of the most complicated inter-species fusions we have ever come across."
Samus had her jaw set tightly in grim frustration. "Then...what can be done?"
"We can not remove it, but we will do our best to inactivate as many of its features as we can. And yet, we can not know what we are capable of taking away safely at this time. More research is needed."
"And yet..." A wizened old elder spoke up for the first time. "Are you sure you want to have all traces of the blood taken away? There are some traits of the Ultimate Warriors that you can not deny are useful." The Chozo who had spoken was known simply as Sharp, not only for her insightful mind, but for the way her beak and talons were always healthily smooth and pointed. She was recognized as the elder of this entire planet and was therefore able to wear beautiful, ceremonial wings on her back to indicate her position.
"No." Samus shook her head. "I just want to be back to normal again."
"Do not be hasty, Hatchling." The Chozo advised, clicking together her lethal beak. "You took on the Ultimate Warrior's blood to save your life and it helped you fend off the Eaters. You will be helpless against them if all the metroid's genes were to be repressed. Also, absorbing any enemy's ghost is an effective way to defeat them. Their energy is added to your own."
"The Eaters are dead. They're extinct. And I get by fine with the abilities I've always had."
"There is always room for improvement, hmm?" Sharp said gently in her rolling voice. Samus felt a wave of nostalgia with those words. Those were the same words that Old Bird had once said to her, before he died. "Besides," The elder continued. "Why are you so fearful of retaining any metroid blood in you? What is it you dislike about the Ultimate Warriors?"
"Yes, many Chozo are curious to know why you destroyed all the metroids." Wind Elder said, a hint of accusation in his tone. "They were a prize creation of our ancestors."
Samus pulled her lip into a thin line. She doesn't like to be reminded of her act of genocide, even if she had her reasons for doing so. "They were used as weapons by the Space Pirates and the Federation ordered me to exterminate them." She said simply. "And sometimes, when they attack me, I have no choice but to defend myself." She stole a glance at Veaning and turned back to the crowd. "But how am I supposed to live as part-metroid? I mean, it weakened me when I needed all my strength. And I kill things uncontrollably. If you Chozo weren't immune to metroids, I might have killed Veaning here."
"You lost control because you starved the metroid part of yourself. Part of your body needs to draw energy from living creatures. If you had known you needed this type of sustenance and fed yourself regularly, then those episodes would not have happened." Sharp tapped her wooden cane on the ground, a cane even more elaborately carved than Wind Elder's. "But I suppose... With your lifestyle, access to suitable living creatures is not always possible. We will find a way adjust your physiology so that a lack of life energy does not bring about ravenous urges."
"Let us not make any promises we may not be able to keep." The biologist advised gravely.
Sharp waved a hand. "Of course. Nothing can be decided yet. Your scientists still need many more days to research the power suit accurately. My fellow elders and I have conferences to hold and decisions to arrive to. And you, our noble Hatchling..." The elder bowed as she said this, and Samus awkwardly bowed back. "...need your rest. This flock of birds must be disturbing the peace and tranquility of your home. We shall leave."
"Thank you so much for your help, Sharp." Samus tried to bow again but was kept upright by two gentle talons under her chin.
The Chozo elder smiled, lifting the sagging corners of an otherwise inflexible beak. "Let us not be overly formal, my Defender. Remember, we are forever in your debt." She turned to leave, all the visiting Chozo following her. A few of them carried off the fusion suit for further study, while one scientist picked up the various body fluids he collected from Samus earlier. The only Chozo left in the bounty hunter's treetop hut were Wind Elder and Veaning.
Samus flopped down onto her bed and exhaled loudly. "That was unnerving. Wind Elder, did you really have to invite all those high caliber people? The planet's elder?"
"So modest you are." The aging Chozo chuckled as he settled onto a branch beside his daughter. "I would have invited more, but I was contacted on such short notice. And yes, Sharp wanted to meet you as much as any other Chozo. We all want to help you."
"Mmm." Was all the answer Samus would give. She stared up at the ceiling with a small frown on her features.
"You are concerned and preoccupied, Hatchling." Wind Elder observed. "Please do not worry about the condition of your power suit and health. Have faith in the abilities of us Chozo." He paused for a moment. "Or is something else troubling you?"
"You are incredibly insightful." Samus sighed and flipped onto her belly, shoulders propped up by her elbows. "I'm thinking about what will happen once they've fixing my metroid problem. What should I do? Where should I go? For as long as I could I remember, my purpose in life has been to find a Chozo planet, and to destroy the Space Pirates. I've done both. And the Federation won't accept me for any large-scale missions anymore. Am I supposed to go back to being a small-time bounty hunter? And I don't want to stay here, no offense or anything. It's just that..."
"You long for the stars." The elder cut her off. "Yes, I know. I can see it in your eyes. And the legends about you always speak of your longing for space."
"Really?" Samus asked in amusement. "One of these days, I'll have to sit down and listen to you tell all these stories about me and find out exactly what kind of legend I'm supposed to be. I should have known Old Bird would spread my rumors, even in the afterlife!"
Wind Elder fluffed up his feathers, making him look unusually fuzzy compared to his usually thin frame. "Heh. Old Bird was quite the pilgrim. Elders on all planets have been visited by him, up until the moment he drifted beyond our reach." The Chozo settled down and cleared his throat. "Now, as for your own problem, you say you do not know what you should do with your life onwards?"
"Yeah. I think of it as an early mid-life crisis or something."
Wind Elder said a few words to Veaning in their native language. The younger Chozo picked up the control pad of the communications device and started flipping through signals, as if searching for something. Her father turned back to the bounty hunter, his face no longer cheery, but a neutral unreadable. "You may have to answer a calling sooner than you think, Warrior."
"What do you mean by that?" Samus asked. She watched the static images on the comm screen from the corner of her eye, distracted by their constant changing.
"Tell me, have you been watching the Federation Broadcast recently?"
The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow in confusion. "No. Why? Should I have been?"
"Let's just say that what you said earlier about the Eaters may not be completely accurate."
"Father, I found it." Veaning announced. Three pairs of eyes turned to the comm screen, watching images relayed from hundreds of light-years away.
It was the Federation Broadcast, and judging from the quality, its signal was probably from a feed trail. That meant it was broadcasted fresh some time ago, but traces of the data could still be picked up. There was a human on the screen, calm and collected, a newsreporter, and behind him a brightly lit star chart. As soon as Samus set eyes upon the chart, she knew something was wrong. She could not quite recognize the solar system the chart depicted, and even if she did, one of the planets appeared too oddly shaped to have been in space for long.
"The vast storm of dust surrounding the former orbit of planet SR388 has settled, allowing astronomers and geologists to finally survey the amount of damaged caused by the destruction of B.S.L. station earlier this year." The man announced with the tone of artificial interest reporters tend to have. "Other than the dust cloud, the station has chiseled off two major portions of rock from the planet and has changed the orbit of the largest remaining piece. Some may remember SR388 as a hostile planet once inhabited by the metroids, then by the elusive X, of which not much is known. The Federation is now organizing a mission to investigate the remains of the planet, and to study the organisms that may have survived."